Soul something or other, flee quite fast
by Kaydryn Tenelmacher
Summary: Tira's got friends! Ivy wants to ditch Voldo, Setsuka's obsessed with the store's unusual weapons selection, Tira's trying to keep her victims alive, and Sophitia has decided that all Tira really needs is a little mothering. Insanity? Poor Ivy.


KY: I promised I would write Boku to Mao fiction, but I've been caught in the endless quest of Soul Calibur III.

None of the characters are mine, they belong to Namco.

----

"SETSUKA!"

She tried very hard not to turn around swinging, the green clad assassin's aim would most likely be better and faster.

"I wish you wouldn't do that." Setsuka sighed, turning around slowly to face Tira.

Tira grinned. "So, anyway, someone's following me."  
"I wonder why."

"Yeah, I knooww.." Tira whined, obviously not attuned for sarcasm at the moment.

"Just kill them. You always do anyway."

"I know, but I don't know who this one is."

Setsuka's interest peaked a bit more. Tira usually danced with death, waiting to see who her pursuer was before fleeing.

"Is it..." The list was long, but Setsuka had no idea who Tira had already disposed of. Speakig of somoene she'd already taken out would anger her. Setsuka thought a moment more.

"Sophitia?"

"Why would she follow me?"

"Well, have you destroyed her temple recently?"  
Tira shook her head.

"Threatened her?"  
"Nope!"  
"Her sister?"  
"Nu-uh!"  
"Tried to kill and or infect her children with Soul Edge?"  
"Uh, noo, not recently..."

"Then I wouldn't know." Setsuka turned her attention back to the weapons display.   
"Have you noticed that every town has a weapon type that I use? I mean, it's not really a popular choice. And it's always there until I buy it, then no more are ever shipped in."

Tira jumped backwards to avoid a strangely colored piece of wall falling from nowhere.

She hit it experimentally with her Aiselne Drossel.

Behind her, a singing sound of a weapon being drawn turned her around swinging fast.

Setsuka looked backwards, hoping it wouldn't be something she didn't particularly want to see.

Ivy blocked the ringblade with Valentine, half smiling.

"I was only keeping one of those strange pieces of brick from falling on me."

Tira pouted, relieved of her duty to kill. Another slab fell between them. The two women jumped aside just in time.

Ivy swung Valentine's hilt around nonchalantly as Tira leaned back on Aislene.  
"Anyway, as I was saying, someone's following me."  
"Sophitia?"  
"Why does everyone say that?" Tira scowled.

"Technically, we're the only two people you'd ask."  
"Yeah." Tira grinned.

"You might not have that problem if you were a bit nicer to people.

"Hey! It's my job. And I like it."  
Ivy shrugged. Setsuka appeared to decide upon buying her weapon, looking only slightly mystified at the shopkeeper's insistence that they were now sold out.

"Come on. We're going to go find out who's following Tira." Ivy proclaimed.  
Setsuka sighed, following the two women. "Why, again?"  
"We have nothing better to do." Ivy muttered.

"You two are my girlyfriends!" Tira chirped, skipping through her Aislene.

Ivy and Setsuka shared a look.

It was evident they had no actual choice in the matter.

-

"Stop following me."  
The crunch of leaves under his feet echoed through the forest.

"Why are you following me?"  
No answer.

"I said, stop it!"

Siegfried turned around, raising his sword.

What came out of the bushes was not what he expected.

"Hgkkk!"

"..."

"Hughh."

Siegfried stared.

"Why _are_ you following me?"

Voldo cocked his head to the side.

Siegfried sighed. He wasn't exactly nervous, Voldo's current stance wasn't threatening, but he was aware that the crazy man could change in an instant.

Voldo semed to stare back at him.

Eventually, Siegfried turned and started walking again.

-

Setsuka stared resolutely into her drink.

Tira had trapped Ivy into a tale of her latest adventure. Over the din of the bar the geisha caught pieces of it.

"And then, so I...he jumped but...smack, wham! Crash!!! It was so cool! He was a good one. Yeah, slice!"  
Setsuka moaned, letting her head fall onto the table.

Her thoughts slowly dissolved. A few minutes after she had thought about nothing, she raised her head again to see Ivy laughing, one leg slung on the table and holding a shaking mug of beer. Setsuka looked around for what was so funny.

Tira stood with her ringblade behind her back, leaning forward and peering at someone Setsuka recognized. Raphael?  
"I meant it, you know. Amy wants a dog, so I am trying my best to get her one. I think it is very nice of her to want a companion to take care of. Dogs are fine pets for young women. Very protective and loyal."  
Setsuka rolled her eyes. The conversation had somehow interested the assassin, as Tira was nodding her head up and down quickly, making noises of agreement.

"Tira. Tira, I think it's time to rest. Can we continue looking for your stalker tomorrow?"

"Uh-Huh!" Tira grinned. "I'll be at Ohstreinberg. You'd better come!"

"I will, I will." Setsuka sighed, knowing that once again, being Tira's 'girlyfriend' was better than being her victim.

-

Siegfried had made a fire, and sat in front of it, beginning to let his memories swim back to him.

"Hkaacgh."

"What is it? What do you want?"

"Kkh."

Siegfried took a piece of bread out of his pack, and threw it towards Voldo.

The guardian jumped up and caught it, retreating to eat.

Siegfried shook his head in wonderment. "I'm treating you like a dog."

After watching Voldo for a few moments, Siegfried began to get tired.

It was getting hard to stay alert, even with Voldos prescence.

"Ah-hahahahahahaha!"

Siegfried jolted awake. "Isabella?"  
"'S Ivy. My nam'sh Ivy now. Siggy."

"Oh dear lord, you're drunk."

Ivy wandered over to Voldo, falling in front of him. Voldo crawled back a few steps, peering intently at Ivy.

"Hey, have a drinkie."  
"Khh."  
"Naw, it won't. Really, it'll make you feel good."

"Hkk?"  
"Trust me, have a drink."  
Voldo took the offered alchohol.

Siegfried wondered if Ivy could really understand Voldo or if she only thought she could in her drunken state.

"S'good. Yeah. Then we can go back to Valentine Mansion and..."  
"Ivy, you're a long way away from Valentine Mansion." Siegfried cut her off, not really wanting to hear what Ivy had planned.

"Oh yeah. Well, oh well then."

Voldo made a strange purring sound as he continued to down the drink.

Siegfried stood up. "I must be going. Are you sure you'll be alright, Ivy?"  
"I'm fine! What, you don't think I'll be fine? Jeez!"  
"No, I meant, um, farewell Ivy." Siegfried gave up, walking away as fast as he could.

While he still held deep feelings for Ivy, he was sure that he would get no sleep with the two of them drunk, and it was certain they would hinder his quest, sober or not. He sighed. "I hope we meet again in better times."  
"That makes two of us!" Ivy shouted after him.

-

Tira shoved her ringblade forward, then paused, and shoved it forward again, only less forcefully.

"Maybe if I practice, I can keep people alive."

She swung it around, then slower, and slower.

"I can hit where it doesn't hurt too much. Or go slower."

Knocking at the door of the castle brought her out of her practice. She ran to it, wondering who it was.

"Hi Tira. Can we stay here tonight?" Ivy waved, grinning with no lucidity.  
"What the hell Ivy?"  
Tira's stare wandered to Voldo. She was unable to tell if Ivy was holding him up or he was holding her up.

"I kinna forgot how to get home."  
"And him?"  
"Forgot that getting drunk makes you forget things." Ivy snerked.

Tira blinked, rolling her ringblade around in her hands.  
"Come on, we're friends, right?"  
"Khhhhghk."

"Okay, okay! Just be quiet, Nightmare's resting. You'll be killed if you wake him up."  
"Thanks Tira! We'll be very quiet!"

Tira closed the door, watched them stumble down the hallway, then went to her own room, wondering if she'd see them in one piece in the morning.


End file.
